Wikia-Operation HOPE Global Money Initiative Announced
World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders John Hope Bryant and Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales, Join Casablanca Stock Exchange CEO Karim Hajji, to Announce Wikia-Operation HOPE Global Money Initiative Casablanca, MOROCCO, December 14, 2010 – Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman and CEO John Hope Bryant (YGL graduate 2010), Wikipedia and Wikia Founder Jimmy Wales, and Casablanca Stock Exchange CEO Karim Hajji, announced at the financial literacy conference at the Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) the creation of the Wikia-Operation HOPE Global Money Initiative (WHGMI). As part of the initiative, CSE will translate the curriculum into French and Arabic languages, helping provide volunteers to teach the program as well as to manage and update online information. The rollout of French and Arabic edition is expected within the next 30 days in Morocco. CSE and HOPE have entered into a unique country partnership, and agree to work together to inspire local volunteers, through CSE, to implement the curriculum within Morocco. The program is based on HOPE’s award-winning financial literacy empowerment curriculum Banking on Our Future. It is taught in five learning modules: A Course in Dignity (The Real Wealth), the Basics of Banking, Checking and Savings Accounts and Credit and Investments. HOPE and CSE agree to report annually on results. The initiative unites the talents of the innovative financial literacy empowerment nonprofit Operation HOPE and the global power of Wikia’s online collaborative publishing platform. "Regardless of language or culture, financial literacy is an issue that touches every individual, every family, and every nation on every continent,” said Bryant, who currently serves the Obama Administration on the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability. “We are seeking to empower under-resourced individuals globally with what I believe to be the new civil rights issue in every country, and a global silver rights empowerment tool - teaching individuals “the language of money." Bryant continued, "by making our curriculum available to the international community through Wikia, we will be giving individuals globally the tools to make the free enterprise system work for them. We believe by making Morocco our starting point, which stands at the intersection of Africa, the Middle East and Europe, we are sending a message to the global community that we can empower communities with silver rights everywhere.” Becoming a part of the Wikia community, HOPE will allow the Wikia community-at-large to edit, adapt and translate HOPE financial literacy and economic empowerment programs online. Made available online and free to the public on a non-commercial basis through a "commons" license, the Wikia-Operation HOPE Global Money Initiative will within 30 days be made available in English, German, Spanish, Tamil, French and Arabic, with the goal of being available in the next 18 months in the world’s top 50 languages. “Taking a powerful concept like financial literacy and instantaneously making it available in dozens of languages, in hundreds of countries worldwide, can make a dramatic difference in the lives of hundreds of millions of people,” said Wales. “The Wikia community is a knowledge resource available free of charge to anyone who uses it and is the defining information bank for the 21st century.” Casablanca Stock Exchange CEO Karim Hajji spearheaded the first country partnership translations of the HOPE curriculum, translating it into French and Arabic for the local population. “Helping all Moroccans take a step towards financial and economic empowerment in and for their own lives is something I feel passionate about,” said Hajji. “Bringing global entrepreneurs like John Bryant here to the Casablanca Stock Exchange shows our commitment to bring awareness to this important issue.” The Forum of Young Global Leaders is an exceptional community of individuals who share a commitment to shaping the global future. Together, they form a powerful international community focused on having a dramatic impact on global affairs and to make sure that global decision-making preserves the interests of the next generation. Based on the Wikia global Creative Commons license, this online resource will be free for all non-commercial purposes. About Wikia Wikia is the definitive place for people to collaboratively pursue their interests and share their knowledge on the web. Using Wikia, anyone can form new communities around any subject they love or participate in over 160,000 existing communities by reading or contributing new content. With more than four million pages of rich content, Wikia’s communities are the most authoritative information about any topic on the Internet. Launched in 2004 by co-founders Jimmy Wales and Angela Beesley, Wikia attracts more than 35 million global unique visitors per month and is a Top 100 Internet site according to Quantcast. About Operation HOPE, Inc. Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been America’s leading financial literacy and empowerment nonprofit. With a presence in 70 U.S. cities and South Africa, HOPE has raised more than $500 million and helped to restructure more than $360 million in sub-prime mortgages from the private sector, for a total of approximately $900 million in economic activity for the disenfranchised in its pursuit of educating, assisting and inspiring the next generation of global stakeholders. With the support of more than 400 private sector companies, 3,500 nonprofit organizations and schools and 100 government partners, Operation HOPE has provided over 1.2 million low-wealth individuals with economic education and financial literacy support and empowerment. Taking the lead at making sure our free enterprise system is relevant to all underserved individuals and communities, Operation HOPE has taken on the responsibility of piloting the Silver Rights Movement and ensuring that free enterprise and capitalism work to provide a better future for all. To learn more about HOPE, visit our website at www.operationhope.org or follow us at www.twitter.com/operationhope, and www.facebook.com/operationhope.